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PSU named Center of Excellence for Information Assurance Research

June 5, 2008

PSU named Center of Excellence for Information Assurance Research

University Park, Pa. — A joint effort between Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering positions the University among a select group of U.S. universities to be designated a National Center of Academic Excellence for Information Assurance Research (CAE-R), a program jointly sponsored by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

The CAE-R Program was launched in 2007 to recognize schools that excel in information assurance (IA) education and research. The field of information assurance includes information security, privacy and risk management on the national level.

The vision for the program is to establish a process that will present opportunities for IA research centers to drill deeper into much needed solutions to securing the global information grid and provide NSA, DHS and other federal agencies with insight into academic information security programs that can support advanced academic research and development capabilities.

To be awarded the designation, applicants must pass a rigorous review demonstrating their commitment to academic excellence in information assurance education and research. Applicants must be either an existing Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education or meet its revised criteria. Applicants are then evaluated against five stringent criteria designed to measure member faculty contributions to the field, including peer-reviewed research publications, production of doctoral degree students, research grant activity, patents and standards.

IST Professor Chao-Hsien Chu who co-led application process said the designation will help the college garner research funding and attract graduate students. Hank Foley, IST dean, and Chu accepted the designation June 4 at a ceremony and awards dinner, which was held at the University of Texas-Dallas during the annual conference of the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education.

"This shows that Penn State is one of the top schools for security research," Chu said. "It was also a great opportunity for IST and CSE to work together. We are very proud to receive this designation."